A war movie without the usual war movie cliches. It's about a bomb squad serving in Iraq, so the entire movie is one white-knuckle scene after another. The main character's swagger and detachment from his deadly serious job is extremely entertaining, and the whole movie is very well acted. This one flew under a lot of people's radar because it wasn't widely released, but if you haven't seen it yet, you should.

2. District 9

It's been a while since there's been a really good, original sci-fi flick, but this movie was a wonderful surprise. I think the reason I enjoyed it so much is because I knew almost nothing about it going in, so the whole first half of the movie was very intense, since I had no clue what was going to happen next. For a movie with a low budget and no stars, it really could not be any better.

3. Up!

Easily the best Pixar movie since Toy Story. The beginning nearly had me sobbing, but from then on it's a hilarious action-packed film with great characters, and it made me laugh more than any other Pixar movie.

4. Star Trek

Before seeing this movie, I had never seen a single Star Trek episode, and everything I knew about the franchise was what I'd put together from references on Futurama and other shows. Nonetheless, I thought it was a fantastic movie with a good plot and good actors (Chris Pine knocked it out of the park as Kirk). Can't wait for a sequel.

5. Moon

This was another obscure film that wasn't widely released. It stars Sam Rockwell as a corporate astronaut who works alone on a lunar station. Just as he's ready to end his tour and head back to Earth, a clone of himself appears in the station. Rockwell does a great job, and he has to because he's one of only about 6 or 7 actors in the entire movie. A very interesting and original film.

Honorable mention:
The Hangover
(500) Days of Summer
Zombieland
Public Enemies
Inglorious Basterds

Best TV of '09

The Venture Bros.

I still think this is the best show on TV. The sprawling story and cast of characters might be daunting for people first getting into it, but it's so worth it. If you're not familiar, it's like Johnny Quest on acid: Dr. Venture and his sons are constantly under siege from hilariously inept supervillians like The Monarch. It's violent, profane, and goddamned funny.

30 Rock

This probably would have taken the top spot, but this season has been a little uneven. Still, it's much better than virtually everything else on TV.

The Office

Another show that's seen better days, but is still very funny. The wedding episode exceeded my expectations, and although it seems like it's just killing time until Pam has the baby, there's still a lot of intrigue surrounding the future of Dunder Mifflin as a company, and as to whether Dwight will actually succeed in bringing down Jim.

Parks and Recreation

I was ready to write this show off after the boring first season, but it's really come into its own this year. Now that Amy Pohler's character isn't trying to be a female Michael Scott anymore, it's really found its rhythm. The supporting characters are really starting to shine too, especially my personal favorite, Ron Swanson.

Glee

Oh boy, I know I'm gonna get shit for this. I really shouldn't like a musical about a high school glee club this much, but I can't help it. The satire is rich, there are lots of funny characters (especially Jane Lynch's evil cheerleading coach, Sue Sylvester), and even the music is pretty good most of the time. You can't help but laugh at a bunch of football players stopping in the middle of a game to dance to Beyonce's "Single Ladies."